No One Fights Alone
by CPDLinstead
Summary: Jay and Erin have been married for 5 years and have a 4 year old son named Hayden. Everything in their life is perfect, but what happens when their 4 year old son receives a devastating diagnosis? (Multiple crossovers with Chicago Med)
1. Chapter 1

The familiar yet annoying sound of the alarm clock was what woke Jay up that chilly November morning. He tossed and turned and looked at the time on his phone; 6:15. Him and Erin had to drop their 4 year old son, Hayden, at school at 7:30 and be at work at 8.

"Babe." Jay said as he tried to wake his wife. "It's 6:15, we gotta get ready."

Erin groaned as she stretched her tired arms. Neither of the two had got much sleep last night thanks to their son. Recently he had not been feeling well and had refused to eat for the past week. The couple grew increasingly worried last night when he began throwing up so they scheduled an appointment for the following day.

Erin slowly got out of bed and slipped on one of Jay's Blackhawks T-shirts before she headed for the bathroom.

"Can you go wake Hayden up and get him ready?" Erin asked as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

"Yeah." Jay replied, his voice still raspy from just waking up.

Jay walked into his son's room and found him crying in his sleep. Jay's heart broke at the sight of his son in pain. He carefully kneeled next to the young boy and began stroking his soft brown hair.

"Hey buddy, it's time to get ready for school. Mommy is in the shower, but she'll be done in just a bit."

"Daddy, my tummy hurts." Hayden said with tears in his eyes.

Jay carefully picked Hayden up, carried him to the couch, and turned on his favorite cartoon; Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.

"I'm going to go get you something that will make your tummy better, okay?"

"Okay." Hayden replied weakly.

Jay walked to the bathroom and started looking through the medicine cabinet.

"Hey Er, what should I give Hayden for his tummy? He woke up complaining that it hurt."

"Um, try giving him some Tylenol. It's worked in the past for him." Erin replied from the shower.

Jay opened the small red and white bottle and took out the right dose before putting the cap back on.

"Alright, thanks." He said before leaving the bathroom. Jay then went and got a glass of water from the kitchen and returned to his sick son.

"Okay Hay, this is gonna make you feel better." Jay said as he handed the small white pill to his son. "Do you remember how we taught you to take these?"

The small boy nodded and swallowed the pill before laying back down and watching his cartoon.

"I'm going to go get you an outfit and then mommy will make breakfast."

Jay went to the Hayden's room and took out a pair of tan shorts, a blue T-shirt with a green dinosaur on it, and white socks from the dresser.

"Okay buddy, it's time to get ready. Can you sit up for me?" Jay asked as he returned to the living room.

The 4 year old slowly sat up and took off his "Tom and Jerry" pajamas. Looking at his son in just his underwear, Jay noticed how much thinner he was and how much paler he was. "Thankfully we have an appointment tomorrow." Jay thought to himself.

Once Jay finished getting Hayden ready and Erin finished her shower, Jay finally begun getting himself ready.

"What do you want for breakfast baby?" Erin asked as she walked to the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry." Hayden replied weakly.

"You have to eat something if you want to grow big and strong." Erin said, trying to get him to eat something. "How about eggs?"

Even though he didn't reply, Erin began cooking scrambled eggs knowing they were his favorite.

10 minutes later, Jay was ready, Erin was trying to force feed Hayden, and Hayden was nearly throwing up.

"Please mamma, I'm not hungry." Hayden pleaded.

"Okay, I'll pack your lunch and a snack for when you get hungry. Promise me you'll try to eat."

"I'll try mamma."

"I know you haven't been feeling well so daddy and I made a doctors appointment for tomorrow so we can figure out what's going on."

The small boy nodded as he slipped on his backpack.

"We better get going or we're going to be late." Jay said, seeing the time was 7:10.

"Okay buddy, let's get in the car. Do you need daddy to carry you?" Erin asked.

Hayden nodded so Jay picked him up. He could tell Hayden was significantly lighter, even with his backpack on. Jay noticed Hayden's blue-green eyes were beginning to fill with tears again. This was extremely unusual because Hayden never cried, even when he fell down the apartment stairs a few months ago and cut his leg so bad that he needed stitches.

"I'm sorry buddy, I wish we could stay home with you, but mommy and daddy have to go catch bad guys." Jay said as he wiped away the tears on his son's cheeks. "Let's go to school, okay? You can go see Lucas and Morgan, and maybe you could color grandpa Hank a picture." Hayden's eyes light up at the mention of Hank's name.

"If I color grandpa a picture, can we go visit him so I can give it to him?" Hayden asked, his tears beginning to dry up.

"I think we can make that happen." Erin said. "But let's get to school so we're not late.

They headed down to the car and everyone was in their usual place; Erin in the driver's seat, Jay in the passenger's seat, and Hayden in the back seat.

15 minutes later, they arrived at Hayden's preschool. Jay walked him in and quickly ran back to the car so they wouldn't be late to work.

"Poor guy, I hate to see him in pain." Erin said as they headed to the precinct. "I really wish we could of stayed home with him."

"I know, me too." Jay agreed.

Jay and Erin arrived at the precinct with 2 minutes to spare. They quickly walked in and greeted Platt before headed upstairs.

"Halstead. Lindsay. Nice of you to join us. We were just about to debrief our next case."

The pair sat at their desks and quickly got lost in their work. The case was pretty simple and they solved it and got their guy by 2:00.

"Great work everybody, now I'll leave you to your paperwork, if you need me I'll be in my office." Voight said before shutting his door.

Everyone was so lost in the mountains of paperwork, that Jay and Erin didn't realize their phones repeatedly buzzing.

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence. "Halstead. Lindsay. There's been a medical emergency involving Hayden at his preschool." Platt said, clearly worried. "I've got Sylvie on the phone."


	2. Chapter 2

" _Halstead. Lindsay. There's been a medical emergency involving Hayden at his preschool." Platt said, clearly worried. "I've got Sylvie on the phone."_

Jay and Erin nearly ran to Platt and put the call on speaker as everyone else in the room listened carefully.

"Hi Sylvie, it's Erin. What's going on? Is Hayden okay?" Erin asked, her voice shaky.

"Hi Erin. I responded to a call from Hayden's preschool because he was having some shortness of breath, was vomiting, and was complaining of severe abdominal pain. We have him on oxygen now and we are on route to Chicago Med as we speak. ETA is 10 minutes."

"Oh my god, we're on our way now. Can we talk to him?" Erin asked as she got her

purse. The rest of the team also began getting ready because Hayden had a special place in all of their hearts. Voight overheard the phone call and began planning who would go in which cars.

"Of course. Here he is. He may sound a little groggy because we gave him some pain medication." Sylvie said as she handed Hayden the phone.

"Hi mommy." He said faintly.

"Hey baby, we're gonna meet up with you at the hospital, everything's going to be okay, don't worry." Erin said.

Everyone started walking down the stairs as Voight called out orders.

"Okay, Halstead and Lindsay you're in the 300. Antonio and Olinsky, you're with me. Atwater and Mouse, you're with Ruzek. Let's go, lights and sirens, don't let anybody get in your way."

Everyone got in their assigned cars and 10 minutes later, they arrived at Chicago Med.

The large group walked in the ER doors and saw Jay's brother, Will.

"Will." Jay called out. "Have you heard anything about Hayden yet? Where is he?"

"They're getting him into a room right now. We'll assess him and go from there." Will replied.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jay asked desperately.

"We're going to do everything we can. I'll keep you posted." Will promised.

Everyone's attention was directed to the ambulance entrance as a stretcher with a small boy was being wheeled in by Sylvie.

"Okay we got one of our own here. 4 year old male. BP is 83/50, heart rate is 84, oxygen is 94, and temp is 104.7. Extreme abdominal pain, vomiting, and shortness of breath. A large, hard lump was found in the abdomen upon examination." Sylvie reported. "IV fluids and morphine were started on site as well as supplemental oxygen."

"Alright let's get him into room 6." Will called out.

"Daddy." Hayden said weakly when he caught a glimpse of Jay's face.

"It's okay buddy. Daddy will see you in a little bit. Uncle Will's gonna help you."

Then the little boy disappeared into the exam room. Jay began pacing and rubbing his hands together, just like he did when his mom was in the hospital years ago.

"Halstead. Quit pacing and sit down." Voight said. "Worrying isn't going to help him."

"How can I stop worrying? My son is in there, possibly dying!" Jay cried.

"I know. We're all scared right now, but we need to stay strong for him." Voight replied calmly.

"I'll go get some coffee for us. We might be here a while." Antonio suggested. "Do you want to come with?" He said looking at Kevin who nodded.

Once Antonio and Kevin left to get coffee, Jay finally sat down next to Erin.

"I can't believe I didn't stay home with him. I'm just like Bunny." Erin said.

"Don't ever say that. You are nothing like Bunny. Neither of us could've predicted this was going to happen so don't beat yourself up over it. We both know Will is taking great care of him."

"You're right." Erin replied before she laid her head on his shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too."

 **MEANWHILE**

"Can we get Dr. Manning in here please?" Will asked.

"I just paged her. She should be here any minute." The nurse responded.

"Oxygen saturation is going down, let's increase oxygen and order a CBC."

Then there was a knock at the door.

"Will, I came as soon as I was paged. What's going on?" Natalie said.

"Sylvie responded to a call from Hayden's preschool because he was experiencing shortness of breath, vomiting, and was complaining of severe stomach pain." Will explained. "But worst thing is, upon an abdominal examination, a hard lump was found. I've paged CT and they'll get him in as soon as possible." Will and Natalie both knew what this most likely was and it broke their hearts.

"Oh my god. Poor guy." Natalie sympathized. "How are you doing Hayden?"

"I want mommy and daddy." Hayden cried.

"Okay, buddy. I think we can make that happen." Natalie responded. "Can we get Jay and Erin back here?" She asked the nurse.

"I'll go get them right now." Said the young nurse.

Once she reached the waiting room she searched for the couple. "Could the parents of Hayden Halstead follow me to room 6?"

Jay and Erin quickly got up and followed the woman. They reached room 6 and saw their son crying in the hospital bed.

"Oh buddy, I'm so sorry." Erin cried as she held her son's hand. "Uncle Will and Natalie are going to figure out what's going on."

"Jay, Erin, can you come out here for a second?" Will asked from outside of the room.

The couple followed the doctor outside, hoping he would have answers.

"Will, what's going on? Is Hayden going to be okay?" Jay asked desperately.

"Currently we have him on IV fluids because he is dehydrated, IV morphine due to his severe stomach pain, and supplemental oxygen because his oxygen saturation is low. I did an abdominal examination and I felt a hard lump, so I have paged CT and they are going to get him in as soon as possible."

"What does that mean? What could the lump be?" Erin asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Look I'm not going to lie to you or sugar coat this. After examination, I think this is either a bowel blockage or a tumor. We won't know much more until the results from blood work and CT come back."

"A tumor? Like, cancer?" Erin asked, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall.

"Like I said we won't know much until results come back." Will said before his pager went off. "That was CT. They're ready for him now."

They walked backed into room and tried to act normal; like they didn't fear that their child had cancer.

"Okay Hay, we're going to go take you to a special machine that will take pictures of your tummy so we can figure out what's going on." Will explained. "If you're brave, uncle Will might get you a new Lego set."

"Legos? Really!" Hayden's eyes light up.

"If you're brave you'll get to choose one. I know we've got some police sets in the gift shop that are like mommy and daddy."

"Cool! Let''s go!" Hayden said excitedly.

"Alright, we'll see you later Hay. We love you so much. Be good for uncle Will." Erin kissed the young boy's forehead.

Moments later, Jay and Erin were left in an empty hospital room and they still had to break the news to the rest of the team. After all that happened today, Erin couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She leaned on Jay's shoulder and cried. Jay held her tight and tried to keep the tears in his eyes from falling. He had to be strong for her. He had to be strong for Hayden.

 **IN CT**

"Alright Hayden here we are" Will said as he pushed the bed into the room containing the CT scanner.

"I looks like a donut!" Hayden laughed.

"Wow you're absolutely right buddy! It does." Will laughed trying to hide the fact he was extremely nervous about what the scan would show. "Natalie and I are going to help you onto that table and we need you to stay very very still so the donut can take a really good picture. Can you do that for me?"

"Will I get a Lego set?"

"Yes. Maybe even two if you don't move a muscle"

"Okay! Let's do this!"

Natalie and Will cautiously helped Hayden onto the table, careful not to pull any of the many wires and tubes attached to him.

"Here's a blanket, I know it's kinda cold in here." Natalie said as she laid a white blanket over the little boy.

"Alright, you're all set buddy. I'm going to be right on the other side of that glass over there. The scan won't take too long but we need you to be really still. If you move we'll have to start all over, but Natalie is going to stand right next to you to help you remember not to move."

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Wow you're pretty brave Hayden. I think Will might have to buy you three lego sets."

"Really? Three!"

"Look what you've done Natalie, I'm going to be broke by the end of the night." Will laughed but was soon pulled out of his reverie when he realized the seriousness of the situation; his only nephew might have cancer.

10 minutes later, the scan was finished and they were already being reviewed by radiologists.

"Wow Hayden, you didn't move a single muscle! Maybe Natalie was right, you might get three Lego sets from me."

"Yes! Thank you Uncle Will!" Hayden said excitedly.

"No problem buddy." Will said as he ran his fingers through the boy's brown hair. "How about we take you back to your mom and dad."

 **IN THE WAITING ROOM**

While Hayden was in CT, Jay and Erin went to the waiting room and filled the team in on what was going on.

"Is Hayden okay? What's going on?" Hank asked nervously.

Jay motioned for everyone to come closer. Soon, Kevin, Mouse, Antonio, Adam, Voight, and Alvin circled Erin and Jay.

"So what Will told us was that when they felt his stomach" Jay paused, trying to keep himself together, "they felt a large, hard, lump. They think it's either a blockage or um, a tumor."

When the team heard "tumor", they grew silent. They had all known that little boy since the day he was born. The possibility that he could have cancer terrified them. They all directed their attention to the doctor walking towards them, it was Will.

"Hayden's back in room 6, CT went well."

"Could we all go see him?" Voight asked.

"Um…" Will thought for a second "Usually I would say no but for you guys, I'll make an exception. Follow me."

The group of 8 followed Will back to room 6. They saw the little boy they all loved laying in a hospital bed attached to tubes and monitors.

"You guys all came!" Hayden yelled excitedly as the team entered the room.

"Of course we did! You never leave a man behind." Kevin said as he gave the boy a fist bump.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you guys." Hayden said. "Adam, could you hand me my backpack?"

"Of course." Adam said as he picked up Hayden's Star Wars backpack. "Here you go buddy."

Hayden tried to unzip his backpack, but the IV board on his hand made it nearly impossible.

"Here let me help you." Mouse said as he easily unzipped the backpack.

Hayden the pulled out 9 white pieces of paper and laid them down on the bed.

"This morning dad said that I could draw a picture for grandpa while I was at school and then I could go see him, but I drew a picture for each of you because today was free day which means we could color all day."

"This one is for Kevin. I drew a picture of you and me at my birthday party. We're both holding the nerf guns you bought me." Hayden said before handing the picture to Kevin.

"Wow dude! This is going on my desk for sure."

"The next one is for Alvin. I drew me and you when you let me try on your hat." Hayden smiled. "Here you go."

"This is really nice Hayden. This is gonna go on my desk too." Alvin said before he took off his hat and put it on the little boy's head.

Hayden then handed the remaining pictures to Adam, Mouse, Antonio, Jay, Erin, and Hank. There was only one piece of paper left.

"Who's that one for buddy?" Mouse asked looking at the remaining piece of paper.

"Well I know your guy's office isn't very colorful so I drew a picture of all of us together that you guys can hang up." Hayden handed the paper containing the disproportionate stick figures to Hank.

"Woah you really went all out. This is some really good work, Hay."

"Thanks grandpa." Hayden smiled.

The group was pulled out of their reverie when Will walked into the room.

"Jay, Erin, I need to talk to you in another room." Will said holding a clipboard.

"Can they come?" Erin asked motioning to the rest of the group.

"If you want them to." Will said before directing his attention to Hayden. "We're going to be in the room just next door. Natalie is going to stay with you. Maybe you could talk about which Lego sets you want me to get you."

Will then led the group of detectives into the private room next door. There were a few chairs, which Jay and Erin sat in, but most of them just stood.

"Okay so I have the test results from CT."

* * *

 **Sorry I left you on a cliffhanger, but I hope to update again soon. Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews; they really inspire me to keep going with this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, so I have the test results from CT." Will paused and took a deep breath. "It's not what we hoped for. The lump we felt in his abdomen is indeed, a large mass."

"What does that mean?" Erin asked frantically.

"Well, seeing that there are other masses spread around his body and in his lymph nodes, we believe this is Neuroblastoma." Will took another breath, trying to keep himself together. "It's an aggressive cancer found in children. Hayden will need to undergo chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and surgery to get rid of the tumor. I've already contacted oncology and they're going to explain this in greater detail to you, but Hayden needs to have surgery immediately to place a line in his chest for chemo. I'm so sorry about all of this."

After Will's explanation there wasn't a dry eye in the room. The little boy they all loved had cancer. It helped Erin to have the team with her; she didn't think she would have the strength to be the one to tell them that Hayden had cancer.

"Can we see him before they take him to surgery?" Jay asked quietly.

"It will have to be quick because they're already getting him prepared to go upstairs."

After taking a minute to compose themselves and drying their tears, they left the small room and went to visit Hayden before he went to surgery.

 **MEANWHILE**

After the detectives left the room with Will, Natalie was tasked with having to tell Hayden that he had cancer and that we going into surgery in just a few minutes.

"So you know how we took those pictures of your tummy?" Natalie asked. She waited for Hayden to nod before she continued. "Well they showed us what's been making you so sick. We found that you have something called cancer. The doctors are gonna give you medicine to help get rid of the cancer, but it means you'll have to be in the hospital a while."

"But why is it there?" Hayden questioned.

"We're not really sure why bud." Natalie replied. She looked at the clock on the wall; 4:47. Hayden had to be in the OR in 20 minutes. "So in just a little bit we're gonna take you on a little ride upstairs because you need to have surgery to put a little tube in your chest. This little tube is where the doctors are going to give you your special medicine, but you're not going to remember any of the surgery because you'll be asleep for it."

"But what if I wake up?"

"Don't worry, the doctors will have you breathe some special air and you'll stay asleep for the whole thing. Uncle Will might even get you a fourth Lego set if you're brave."

"Yay more Legos!" Hayden replied as the group of detectives entered the small room. "Hey Mamma?" Hayden said.

"Yeah buddy?" Erin tried to hide the fact she had just been crying.

"Natalie said I have to have surgery but I won't remember it. She also said I might get another Lego set from uncle Will if I'm brave."

"Wow Natalie I really am going to be broke by the end of the night thanks to you." Will laughed from the corner of the room. A buzzing sound then came from the doctor's pocket. "That's surgery. They're ready for him."

"We'll see you in just a little bit Hayden. Just know we all love you so much." Jay said as his voice cracked.

"I love you guys too. How about a group hug?" Hayden said.

"Group hug!" Atwater said before everyone hugged the small boy, all being careful of his IV.

"You ready Hayden?" Will asked.

"Well, I'm ready for some Legos so let's get this over with." Hayden laughed.

Moments later, they were again in an empty room wanting answers.

A young nurse then broke the science. "You guys can now wait in the surgical waiting area. You can follow me upstairs. The surgery should only take 1-2 hours. They will be placing a central line in his chest for chemo, doing a bone marrow biopsy, and they will also biopsy one of the affected lymph nodes to confirm the diagnosis and make the best treatment plan possible."

"Well, since he's going to be in surgery a while I'm going to go home and finish some things I need to do." Antonio said. "Text me when he wakes up please."

Everyone, besides Jay and Erin, decided they should do the same thing. They agreed it would be best for them to have some time alone with Hayden when he wakes up, and then come back when he was ready for visitors.

The couple stayed silent as they followed the young brunette to an elevator that took them to the 7th floor. The sign read "Pediatric Surgical Unit." The waiting room was large and spacious with comfortable chairs and fish tanks, but it still felt uncomfortable. They hated that they had to be in a place like this waiting for their son to come out of surgery, ready to start his first round of chemo.

2 hours passed before an older nurse walked through the double-doors.

"Family of Hayden Halstead?" She called out. She smiled softly when they stood up. "Well, Hayden did excellent. We were able place the central line, biopsy a lymph node, and do the bone marrow biopsy. We also started him on antibiotics because of his high temperature and weakened immune system. He is still on oxygen and pain meds to keep him comfortable, but his heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygenation have improved."

"Can we go see him?" Jay asked.

"They're monitoring him in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit right now and then they'll move him to the Pediatric Oncology Ward. Another nurse will take you to go see him in about 30-45 minutes."

"Okay thank you."Jay responded before he sat back down.

"I don't think I can sit here for another half hour. I just want to see him already." Erin said, tearing up again.

"Hey, we all do, it's okay Erin." Jay told her, squeezing her hand.

"I just can't believe it. Where did we go wrong? Why does he have this?" Erin cried.

"Hey it's okay." Jay wiped her tears. "We didn't do anything wrong. Will told me Neuroblastoma isn't caused by anything, it's just something wrong with his DNA." Jay hugged her tight, he wished this was all a bad dream. This whole situation reminded him too much of his mother's cancer diagnosis when he was younger, and her battle didn't end well. Jay began tearing up at the thought of his mother, but he quickly thought about something else. He couldn't cry now, not with all of these people around.

30 minutes later, another nurse came out. She looked around the waiting room at the other weary families waiting to hear news about their kid.

"Family of Hayden Halstead?" She walked toward Erin and Jay when she saw them. "Hayden is now being moved to the Pediatric Oncology Unit. If you follow me I can take you to where he is going. Depending how long it takes for them to get him settled, you may have to wait in the waiting room."

They followed her to the elevator they had been in just a few hours ago. She took them to the 13th floor. When the doors opened they saw another large, spacious waiting room with colorful furniture and fish tanks. The walls were filled with children's art work and crayons littered the tables. A little girl with a shiny bald head and a mask covering her mouth sat at one of the tables scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Okay so Hayden is almost settled." The nurse said as she looked at her pager. "Someone will come and take you back when he's ready." She offered a kind smile and then walked back to the elevator.

It was a little while longer before a new nurse came to tell them Hayden was settled.

"Hayden is resting comfortably in his room. I can take you back to see him now. " The nurse said gently. "I'm Harper by the way."

"Nice to meet you Harper." Jay said as he shook her hand, Erin did as well.

Erin and Jay walked through the set of double door and into a large maze of rooms. It hurt Erin's heart to think that each of these rooms held a child like Hayden, a kid fighting for their life. She saw a few bald kids riding on IV poles and in wagons. Others were being pushed on bikes or were limping down the halls, a nurse or parent following them with their IV pole so they didn't rip out the line that was in their arm or chest. Every kid was attached to some sort of monitor of machine, but it seemed like they barely noticed it. They were all lost in their own little world, trying to act like normal kids.

"This will be him soon." Erin whispered.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have multiple band performances this weekend but I hope to update again by Sunday.**

 **(A few people have been asking me what inspired me to write this and the answer is that this story is loosely based on my best friend, Caelen, who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma when he was 3. Unfortunately, Caelen passed away November 6th, 2015 when he was only 7, but I began writing this story so people could see what childhood cancer is really like; its not all just smiling bald kids going on Make-A-Wish trips.)**

 **All follows, favorites, and reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

_"This will be him soon." Erin whispered._

Jay and Erin continued to follow nurse Harper down the long hallway. There were more kids playing and biking in the hallway, but one kid in particular caught Erin's attention. It was a little boy riding on a bike and he seem to be around Hayden's age. There were multiple tubes connected to his little body and nasal cannula was in his nose, but the thing that caught her eye was the fresh scar that stretched from the top of his right ear to the back left side of his neck.

They eventually arrived at room 13.23. Harper opened the door to reveal Hayden watching the same TV show he had been watching earlier that morning; so much had changed since then. He was attached to so many wires and tubes that it completely overwhelmed Jay and Erin. She expected the room to be cramped and cluttered, but just like the waiting room, it was large and spacious. There was a couch that folded out into a bed and an en suite bathroom, kind of like a hotel room. The walls were colorful and there was a large mural of a coral reef directly across from the hospital bed.

"Hey baby." Erin said softly.

"Mommy! Daddy! I missed you." Hayden said as he attempted to sit up.

"Hey, easy there bud. You just had surgery." Jay his bed so he could sit up easier.

"Did you hear that uncle Will owes me four Lego sets!" Hayden said excitedly.

"Yep sounds like he's gonna be broke if you keep being such a brave kid." Erin laughed for the first time that night.

They were interrupted as a group of doctors and nurses filed into the room.

"Good evening." A tall man with a slight accent said as he shook Erin and Jay's hands. "I'm Dr. Nielsen, I am Hayden's oncologist."

"It's nice to meet you." Jay said as he shook the man's hand.

"So we have looked at Hayden's scans, biopsies, and blood work and we have confirmed that this is Neuroblastoma." Dr. Nielsen looked at the couple sadly. "Another important piece of cancer diagnosis is staging. There are four different stages of cancer; stage 1, 2, 3, and 4. This all depends on how far the cancer has spread. If a cancer is stage 4 it means that the cancer has already spread to the bone marrow and/or lymph nodes. After all of the tests we did today we are in agreement that this is Stage 4 Neuroblastoma."

"So what does that mean for him?" Erin asked quietly.

"It means he'll have to go on a aggressive and extensive treatment plan. We have planned for his first cycle of chemo to start tomorrow. He'll probably be here for at least a week."

"Tomorrow?" Jay asked astonished.

"We need to start shrinking this tumor as quickly as possible so we can remove it surgically." The doctor responded. "But for right now, we're going to let you guys get some rest, you've got a long day ahead of you."

With that, the group of doctors and nurses left the room. Jay looked at the clock and it was almost 9:30.

"Alright Hayden, it's time to get some rest." Jay said calmly. He turned the TV off and Erin helped tuck Hayden into bed. She wondered how he'd ever be able to sleep with all of those tubes and wires attached to him and she was amazed when he was fast asleep only moments later. She was relieved to see him sleeping comfortably.

"Crap." Jay said quietly. "We don't have any of our stuff here, we came straight from the district. I'll go back to the apartment and get some stuff, you can stay here with him. Is there anything specific you needed?"

Erin shook her head. She couldn't really think logically at this point because she was still in shock. Once Jay exited the room she pulled out the makeshift bed/couch and laid down one of the blankets the nurses had given them. This would soon be their new normal. They would have to sleep on a couch for days or even weeks on end, and try and ignore the constant beeping of machines and alarms. Erin couldn't fathom how someone could sleep in a hospital, this was her first time and she already couldn't stand it, she just wanted to take her little boy home.

 **MEANWHILE**

Jay didn't want to leave Erin and Hayden at the hospital but they did need some clothes and other essentials. During the drive to the apartment he tried to distract himself by listening to music but it did stop the tears from falling. He had held it in too long, now was his time to let it all out.

He arrived at their apartment 20 minutes later and quickly went inside to get what they needed. He grabbed the essentials; clothes, toothbrushes, shampoo, blankets, pillows etc. He walked into Hayden's room and the tears began to fall again. Everything was in the exact place it had been earlier that day; his Star Wars comforter was on the floor along with some legos, and the pajamas he had slept in the night before were lazily thrown in the hamper by the door. Jay wished more than anything that this was just a nightmare, that he would wake up soon and this would all be over.

He went to the dresser where they kept Hayden's clothes. Dr. Nielsen had told them Hayden would probably be in the hospital for a week or more so Jay grabbed enough clothes and pajamas for 7 days and nights, if they needed more he would come back and get more. He also took a few of Hayden's favorite stuffed animals and toys to keep him entertained. Once he believed he had everything they needed, he got back in his car and headed back to the hospital.

When he opened the door to room 13.23, Jay saw his two favorite people in the world fast asleep. He set their bags next to the couch/bed and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. He laid a blanket over Erin and then crawled in next to her, within minutes he too was fast asleep.

Jay and Erin were awoken by a loud insistent beeping. At first Jay thought it was just their alarm, but when he opened his eyes and saw where he was, the previous day came flooding back to him. He checked his phone and saw it was 7:30, he would have been waking up soon anyways so there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. He got up to investigate the source of the beeping and found it was coming from the IV pump. He walked out of the room to the nurses station and informed the man at the desk about the beeping. He followed Jay and when they at the room, Erin was awake and Hayden was in the process of waking up.

"Good morning Hayden!" The nurse said cheerfully. He pressed buttons on the IV pole and the beeping stopped. "I'm nurse Eli. How are you feeling right now?"

"I feel a lot better." Hayden replied.

"Does your tummy hurt?"

"Kind of but not as much."

"Okay, I'll give you something so you can eat breakfast. Do you know what you want to eat?" Eli asked.

"Do you have pancakes?"

"Yep, you can even order them with chocolate chips." Eli said as he pressed buttons on the machine attached to the IV pole.

"Yes please!" Hayden said excitedly. "That's how mom makes them." Erin smiled.

"Alright I'll send the order. Dr. Nielsen and the rest of your oncology team with be in here for morning rounds in about 20 minutes. From what I've heard they'll start chemo around 8:00." Eli smiled softly at Jay and Erin.

"Okay, thank you." Erin said.

25 minutes later Hayden was eating breakfast and there was a knock at the door. Dr. Nielsen and the rest of the oncology team filed into the room for their morning rounds.

"Good morning Hayden." Dr. Nielsen said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Hayden replied shyly.

"We're very glad to hear that." He smiled before turning his attention to Jay and Erin. "So Eli is going to start the chemo infusion in just a few minutes. Hayden may feel nauseous or dizzy but we have some medications to counteract that. This is a pretty aggressive chemo so his hair will begin falling out pretty soon. We encourage him to walk around and play outside of his room, but he will need to wear a mask so he doesn't catch an infection."

The oncology team talked a little while longer with Erin and Jay before they left the room to continue their rounds. Eli came back in a few minutes later with a IV bag containing a yellow substance which Jay and Erin suspected was chemo. Eli hung it on the pole and attached it to the pump. He took flushed Hayden's central line with saline before he attached the chemo line. Before they knew it, the yellow liquid was coursing through through Hayden's veins, ready to attack his cancer.

"Okay, you're all set." Eli said. "I gave him some Zofran which should control the nausea and vomiting but if he begins feeling really nauseous please tell me. Again, we do encourage him to walk around and play with other kids on the floor, but he will need to wear a mask. Did you have any questions?"

"No, thank you." Jay responded.

"Well, if you need anything else just press the nurse call button and you'll be connected with me or another nurse."

Once Eli left the room, Erin looked closer at the IV bag that held the chemo. "TOXIC. WEAR GLOVES WHILE HANDLING" was written in bold, capital letters. Erin was shocked. She couldn't believe that the substance going into her son's body was so toxic it had to be handled with gloves. He was only 4 years old; what did he do to deserve this?

"Hey buddy, do you want to walk around a bit?" Erin asked, she needed to get her mind off of the situation. Hayden nodded so Jay and Erin started to get him ready for the day. Jay carefully took off the hospital gown Hayden had been put in yesterday and Erin picked out a new outfit from the bag of clothes Jay had brought. She decided it would be best to put him in a pair of pajamas so that he would be comfortable and they wouldn't have to change him again later.

"Daddy brought a bunch of pajamas." Erin showed Hayden the pairs Jay had brought. "Do you know which one you want to wear today?"

"Spaceships!" Hayden yelled excitedly.

"Spaceships it is then." Erin laughed.

Jay cautiously slipped the pajamas onto the little boy. Erin grabbed his brush from the bag and gently began brushing his soft brown hair. She began tearing up again. Soon this would all be gone.

"Hey it's okay." Jay soothed her.

"It's all going to fall out." She cried.

"We'll get through it, together."

After Hayden was ready Jay helped him get down from the hospital bed.

"You ready to go play?" Jay asked.

"Yesterday Eli told me there's a train table in the playroom. Can we go in there?" Hayden asked.

"Of course buddy, but like Eli said, you've got to wear a mask." Jay explained as he helped Hayden put on a Mickey Mouse mask the nurse had given them.

They left the room and walked into what was now their new life. Hayden would play in hospital playrooms instead of parks, he would learn the names of his chemos instead of his classmates, and he would sleep in a hospital bed instead of his own.

They opened the door to the pediatric oncology floor playroom and were greeted with a bright and colorful room filled with all different types of toys and games. There were 7 other kids in the room playing and laughing, their smiles hidden behind masks, and the little boy with the giant scar that had caught Erin's eye yesterday was sitting and playing at the train table.

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 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Follows, favorites, and reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

_There were 7 other kids in the room playing and laughing and the little boy with the giant scar that had caught Erin's eye yesterday was sitting and playing at the train table._

Hayden ran over to the train table with Jay trailing behind him, pushing the IV pole. He sat down next to the little boy and began playing.

"Hi I'm Hayden. What's your name?" He asked, being the social butterfly he was.

"Finley." The boy smiled.

"Your scar looks really cool. I have a scar on my leg from when I feel down the stairs." Hayden lifted his leg to show Finley. Conversation seemed to come so easy to them.

"Really? You think so?" He asked excitedly but then frowned and looked at his hands. "I think it's ugly and scary."

"Not at all." Hayden smiled before changing the subject. "Do you want to have a train race?"

"You're on!" The boy yelled excitedly.

While Hayden and Finley were racing trains, a woman tapped Erin's shoulder.

"Is that your son?" The woman asked as she pointed to Hayden.

"Yeah." Erin nodded. "His name is Hayden."

"Finley, that's my son." She pointed to the boy playing with Hayden. "He had brain surgery to remove his tumor 3 weeks ago and he's been very self conscious about his scar. Your son complimented him and made him smile; I haven't seen his smile since before his brain surgery. You've got one sweet kid."

"Thank you. I'm Erin by the way and this is my husband Jay." She shook the woman's hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Brooke. Are you new here?"

"Yeah" Erin replied. "He was diagnosed yesterday with Neuroblastoma."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Do you want to sit and talk?" She pointed to a couple of chairs in the other side of the room.

"Sure." She smiled. "Jay can you stay and watch him?"

"Yeah." He responded and then knelt down and began playing with the boys.

Erin and Brooke went and sat in the chairs across the room.

"What's your son's diagnosis?" Erin asked carefully. This was such a new topic for her she didn't really know what to ask.

"Anaplastic Ependymoma, it's an aggressive brain tumor. He was originally diagnosed when he was 2 and when into remission but he relapsed recently."

"Oh my god, that's terrible. How does he get through it?" Erin asked, she couldn't imagine how a child could go through such a thing.

"Honestly, I don't know. He's been going through chemo and radiation since he was 2. I guess it's his normal, it's really all he knows." Brooke replied sadly, remembering the years of treatment he'd been through.

"How old is he?"

"He's 4 but he's turning 5 in 3 days. We've been told he's going to be in the hospital for his birthday so we're having a party in the celebration room." Brooke smiled, then an idea hit her. "We'd love for you to come. Due to his diagnosis and being in the hospital so much Finley doesn't have a lot of friends. They seemed to have connected right away and I'm sure he'd be so happy for Hayden to come."

"We'd love to." Erin smiled. "What does he like?"

"Well he loves trains as you can see," Brooke laughed. "but he also loves Legos, Ninja Turtles, and action figures."

"Wow, it's like Finley and Hayden are twins." Erin commented, realizing how alike they were.

Their conversation was interrupted by Finley and Hayden running over.

"Mom, could I show Hayden the bikes?" Finley asked.

"Sure buddy. Do you feel dizzy or sick yet?" Brooke asked, remembering he was receiving a chemo treatment. Finley shook his head.

"Guess what mom." Finley said as they exited the playroom and walked down the halls.

"What's up?"

"Hayden said he liked my scar. He has one on his leg!" Finely grinned. It was the first time he had shown happiness toward his new scar.

Brooke was happy that Finley was finally accepting his scar. At first, it was hard for Finley to understand why he had it; the kids in his class didn't have one and he hated how it made him stand out.

At the end of the hallway there were 7 colorful bikes lined up neatly. Finley quickly ran over to a blue bike with green polka dots.

"You can ride that one." Finley pointed to a red bike with yellow stripes. "It's the fastest one, but make sure to get a helmet."

Jay helped Finley and Hayden get their helmets on and within moments they took off, parents running after them pushing their IV poles. They raced each other up and down the hallways smiling and laughing, like they were normal kids biking in the park.

"Can I race too?" A little girl asked.

"Of course." Finley said as he stopped his bike next to her. "Hayden, this is Paisley."

"Hi Paisley." Hayden smiled at the blue-eyed girl.

"It's nice to meet you Hayden." She smiled back.

"Your favorite bike is next to Liam's." Finley said as he pointed to a rainbow bike.

After she got her helmet on, they were back to racing each other with a nurse pushing Paisley's IV pole behind her. For the next 20 minutes, the 3 kids were trying to take back the childhood that was stolen from them. They were in their own world; cancer completely forgotten until the nurse helping Paisley spoke.

"Alright Paisley, it's time for radiation." The nurse smiled sadly.

"But I don't want to go, I want to stay here." Paisley began to cry.

Finley, having experienced this before, ran up and hugged her. "It's okay Paisley, we'll be here when you get back. We've both done this a bunch of times before." He wiped her tears and gave her one last hug before the nurse walked her to the elevator, tears were still streaming down her face.

"Why'd she have to go?" Hayden was confused, having never gone through radiation.

"She has to go get a special treatment to get rid of her tumors." Finley explained.

"It's like he's a cancer expert." Erin whispered to Brooke who smiled sadly.

The boys played for about 10 more minutes before Hayden began feeling the effects of the chemo.

"Mommy, I feel sick." Hayden frowned behind his mask.

"Okay, let's go lay down for a bit." Erin took off his helmet. "Can you say goodbye to Finley?'

"Bye Fin." Hayden said as he hugged his new friend.

"I hope you feel better soon." Finley said kindly. "You're one of my bestest friends now."

They had only known each other for a short amount of time, but Hayden and Finley just clicked.

Because Hayden's bones were hurting, a common side effect of chemo, Jay carried him back to his room and Erin pushed his IV pole. Jay gently laid his son down on his new bed and turned on a cartoon.

"I'm gonna throw up." Tears began rolling down Hayden's cheeks.

Jay quickly sat him up and Erin grabbed a bowl. Hayden emptied the contents of his stomach and then laid back down, already worn out from the chemo. Erin pressed the red nurse call button and moments later a nurse walked into their room.

"Hi, I'm nurse Reagan. What's going on?" A brunette woman asked as she rubbed hand sanitizer on her hands.

"He threw up and earlier Eli told us to tell a nurse if he did." Erin explained.

"Okay, I'll give him some more Zofran and that should help control it, but it might make him a bit sleepy."

Reagan lifted Hayden's pajama shirt and attached a syringe to his central line. This was day 1 of chemo and Hayden was already exhausted and in tears. Earlier, the doctors told them treatment for Neuroblastoma can last up to 2 or more years.

"Mommy, I want to go home." Hayden cried into his pillow.

"I know buddy, I'm so sorry." Erin ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to comfort him, but he continued to cry. Eventually, his tired body fell asleep.

He looked peaceful but Jay could only imagine the war going on inside his body. "Would Hayden be like Finley and have to spend his next birthday in the hospital?" Jay wondered. His 5th birthday was coming up in about 6 weeks, so there was a large possibility he would be stuck in this prison, toxins pumped into his body in hopes it would destroy his cancer.

They had been part of this cancer world for only two days, Jay didn't think he would be able to go for another week, let alone 2 years. Hayden was already so tired and sick.

"Is this what's best for him?" Jay asked himself. After looking at his son lying in the hospital bed, chemo dripping into his frail body, Jay wasn't entirely sure.

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 **Sorry this chapter was really short. I've been pretty busy this week but I'm planning on the next one being longer.**

 **All favorites, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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